Static dischargers have been successfully made and used in accordance with the patent of Cline, U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,643 issued Mar. 21, 1978. Such dischargers commonly use and employ a metallic base, such as one made of aluminum, which in turn is removably supported and mounted on a discharger support base or mounting structure as shown in the patent of Raglin, U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,141 issued Nov. 15, 1966. Such discharger mounting bases are similarly formed of aluminum.
In recent years there has been a trend in higher performance aircraft to employ aircraft skin surfaces formed of graphite and/or boron epoxy composite material, on the trailing edges of the wing and the control surfaces, and even for the entire wing structure. When conventional static dischargers or their metal mounting bases are mounted on the various trailing edges of these aircrafts, there is an incompatibility of the aluminum of the base structure with the graphite composite material of the aircraft skin, thereby resulting in corrosion of the aluminum base. This corrosion primarily manifests itself at the lower attaching surfaces of the aluminum mounting bases, thereby resulting in a requirement to replace such bases frequently to maintain the proper operation of the static discharger.